Convertible table and kit-case



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

, WEE. BAXTER CONVERTIBLE TABLE ANDKIT CASE.

No; 557,044. I Patented Mar. 24,1896.

Agumtw BAHAKAMPHUTO-LTTNQWASHINGTDMRC.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. E. BAXTER. GONVBRTIBLE TABLE AND KIT GASE. I I No. 557,044. PatentedMar. 24, 1896.

WITNESSES:

A 77001145 rs.

INOREW RGRANAM, PNUTO-UI'NJWASKIHETUN. I:v

UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM E. BAXTER, OF FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY.

CONVERTIBLE TABL E AND KIT-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 557,044, dated March24, 1896. Application filed February 18, 1895. Serial No. 538,851. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. BAXTER, of Frankfort, in the county ofFranklin and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in a Convertible Table and Kit-Case, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention is a convertible table and kit case or box, and has for anobject to provide a simple and inexpensive structure which can be foldedinto form to senve as a box or case for the papers or books of an armyoffieer, to inclose the utensils comprising a kit and the table legs andbraces, or into form to serve as a fiat or grass table or an elevatedtable, as may be desired; and the invention consists in certain novelconstructions, combination and arrangements of parts, as willbehereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view showing the box closedand fastened. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the table erected.Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the box, the lid being raised to showthe contents. Fig. at is an inverted perspective view of the table. Fig.5 is a detail section on about line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. (3 is aperspective View showing the joint between the brace-bar and one pair ofthe crossed legs. Fig. 7 shows the parts detached. Fig. 8 illustrates amodified form of such joint. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view showingthe joint between the table-top, the corner-strips, and the legs. Fig.10 is a detail bottom plan view of the table-top, showing a differentform of brace therefor; and Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of theunderside of a part of the tabletop.

The box or case is composed of the sections A, B, O, and D, hingedtogether at theirside edges, and which may for convenience of referencebe referred to as the top A, bottom 0, front side D, rear side B, andthe ends E.

The top is hinged to the upper edge of the rear side B, such sideB ishinged at its lower edge to the rear edge of the bottom 0, and the frontedge of the bottom 0 is hinged to the lower edge of the front D. Theedge of the top A laps over the upper edge of the front D and forms asquare joint; but as the hinge connections are arranged at the innercorners of the joints between parts A and B, B and C, and C'and D, inorder that such parts may be folded out flat to form a tabletop, aspresently more fully described, it will be noticed that at such jointsthere are left rectangular recesses F when the parts are adjusted toserve as a box. To fill these recesses and thus protect the edges of theparts A to D from being bruised or marred, I provide filling-strips G,which fit snugly in the recesses F, and are provided at their ends withspring-brackets g, which bind along the ends of the front and backpieces and tend to hold the strips to place. They also, together withpieces 1, form metallic cornerpieces for the box. These-strips G arethus conveniently removable and are utilized as braces for the tablewhen the latter is set up, as presently described, the spring bracketsor tongues g aiding in such bracing, as will be described.

The ends E are secured removably by means of hooks e thereon engagingflush or countersunk bearings e on the sections B and D, such ends alsohaving dowel-pins e fitting in sockets in the sides and the top andbottom A and O.

lVhcn the parts A to D are adjusted as shown in Fig. 3, they are held inform by the hooks which-unite the ends to the front and rear sides. Inthis form the box composed of the legs I, disposing the parts in suchmanner as to afford the greatest space for the bucket, coffee-pot, andother articles not necessary to mention and forming part of awellequipped camp-kit.

hen the lid is lowered and secured by the fastenin gs described or othersuitable fastenings, a shawl-strap may be applied so it can beconveniently carried, as will be understood from Fig. 1.

When it is desired to convert the box into a table, its contents may betaken out, the ends and filling-strips removed and the sections A to Dturned into a common fiat plane.

The top brace J is composed of two strips, one, J, of which is pivotedat its middle to the back B so it can be turned across the joint betweenthe several sections of the top, and preferably fits at its ends when soturned in keepers J on the parts A and D, as shown most clearly in Fig.4c. The other strip, J is pivoted concentrically with strip J and is ofspring metal, and when turned, as shown in Fig. 4:, its ends catch underthe edge strip or filling-pieces and bind the same firmly up against thetable-top and so aid in bracing such top.

In Fig. 10 I show a somewhat different form of table-top brace, in whichthe strips are separate from the top, pivoted to cross each other Xshape, and the lower strip has near its ends slots J and hooks J, theslots fitting over staples J 7 on the table-top and the hooks engagingsuch staples, as will be understood from Fig. 10. In this form thebrace-pieces J may also be used as shown.

At its ends the main brace-bar II has-mortises II, the inner wall 72/ ofwhich has a socket 7L2 for the pin on the legs and the side walls ofwhich are provided with inwardlyfacing shoulders 72. and Jr, theshoulders It being nearer to the end wall It than the shoulders'hfl andsuch shoulders h and 7L4 being engaged respectively with the inner andouter legs to form a double lock to hold such legs in connection withthe brace-bar. The legs of each pair are pivoted together upon a pin 11whose inner extended end fits in the socket 71 in the inner wall h ofthe mortise H.

This pin 11 is preferably a threaded bolt turning through a nut IIembedded in.the inner side of the inner leg, so the pin will operate tosecure the legs together.

In applying the legs they are first folded parallel and alongside eachother, and when so adjusted are inserted in the mortise A, their screw Hentering the socket 71 WVhen in the mortise, the legs are spread shearfashion and their upper ends are secured to the table-top by means ofhooks II on the legs engaging flush or countersunk seats II on thetable-top.

In the outer sides of two of the legs are formed notches H in which oneof the strips G is fitted.

In Fig. 8 I show a modified construction of the joint between thecrossed legs and the center brace, in which the shoulders in the sidewalls of the mortise are omitted and a hook is provided to secure saidlegs in the mortise, the side walls of the mortise being beveled, asshown.

On the under side of the brace-bar II, I pivot centrally between itsends a spring-bar L, having its ends L turned upward and en- I teringsockets l in the under side of said bar when the parts are in adjustmentfor pack-' in g. When the table is set up, the spring-bar L is turned atright angles to bar II, and the end pieces of the box are restedthereon, being held at their outer edges by the upturned portions L andsecured at their inner edges by suitable fastenin gs to the brace-bar.These fastenings are preferably the hooks which are employed to securethe box ends to the side pieces, such hooks engaging suitable bearingsin the brace-bar, and the dowel-pins on such ends entering the brace-barsteady the ends in position. When so adjusted, as shown in Fig. 2, theends form convenient shelves below the table-top to support any objectdesired.

The upper ends of the legs are mortised at M and provided in saidmortises with up wardly-projecting pins M. Two of the cornerfilling-strips are seated in the mortises M, have sockets to receive thepins M, ex.- tend at their ends beyond the legs, and have their endbrackets or plates arranged to enter sockets'N in the under side of thetabletop. This construction, it will be seen, operates in connectionwith the hooks which fasten the legs to the table-top to form a firm,secure fastening of legs and top and a bracing of the latter, as will beunderstood from Fig. 4. As shown in this figure, the plate J of thecross-brace for the table-top laps at its ends below the two strips atabout the center of the latter and presses them firmly up against thetop.

It will be seen that all the hook-seats on the inner side of thebox-sections are fiush that is to say, do not extend beyond the face ofthe section and present no obstructions to the filling of the boX whenthe same is used as a receptacle for the various articles comprised inthe duffie of a camp-kit or other article it is desired to store.

It will be noticed that the legs do not stand vertically, but spreadoutward from their upper to their lower ends each way, thus increasingthe steadiness of the table when erected.

The construction of the table-top of hinged sections and detachableends, the strips to fill the spaces between the hinged edges of thesections when adjusted to form a box, the construction of suchfilling-pieces with end plates, the X-shape top brace shown in Fig. 10,and the lid-fastening straps and studs shown herein form a part of thesubject-matter of a separate application for patent, Serial No. 548,027.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a convertible box and table the combination of the sectionsforming the sides, top and bottom of the box and hinged together, thebox ends detachably connected with the other box-sections and the legsprovided with devices whereby to secure and support such sections andends when the apparatus is adjusted for use as a table substantially asset forth.

2. The combination in an apparatus substantially as described of themain brace-bar provided in its ends with mortises the crossed legsfitted in said end mortises and fastenings by which to secure said legsin the mortises of the brace-bar substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus substantially as described the main brace-barprovided with end mortises and having longitudinal sockets at the innerends of said mortises and the crossed legs fitted at their crossing insaid mortises and provided with pins extending into the longitudinalsockets and means whereby said legs are held in said socketssubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In an apparatus substantially'as described, the main brace-bar havingend mortises the side walls of which are formed with stop-shoulderscombined with the crossed legs pivoted together and adapted to beinserted when closed in the end mortises of the brace-bar and be spreadinto position to engage the stop-shoulders thereof substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

5. In an apparatus substantially as described the combination of thefolding tabletop, the legs therefor the main brace-bar connecting saidlegs the strips connecting the upper ends of the legs and held by thelatter to the table-top and fastenings connecting the legs at theirupper ends to the table-top substantially as set forth.

6. In an apparatus substantially as described the combination of thetable-top, the

legs, the strips connecting the legs and secured by the latter to thetable-top and having port-ions interlocking with the table-top andfastenings by which the legs may be secured to the top substantially asset forth.

7. In an apparatus substantially as described the combination of themain bracebar having end mortises the inner walls of which havelongitudinal sockets and the side walls stop-shoulders and the crossedlegs having pins to enter said sockets and arranged to spread intoposition to abut the stop-shoulders substantially as set forth.

8. In an apparatus substantially as described the combination of themain bracebar having end mortises and having longitudinal sockets at theinner ends of said mortises the legs fitted at their crossings in saidmortises, threaded pins or bolts passed through such crossed legs andextended to enter the sockets at the ends of the mortises and nutsthreaded on the bolts whereby the latter tend to secure the legstogether substantially as set forth.

9. In an apparatus substantially as described, the combination of thetable-top, the folding legs, fastenings securing the upper ends of saidlegs to the top, the strips connecting the tops of the legs and havingportions engaging positively with the table-top all substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

10. The combination of the jointed tabletop the brace therefor thelegs,the main bracebar connecting the legs at about their middles andthe top strips connecting the upper ends of the legs and having portionsengaging positively with the table-top substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

11. The convertible table and box or case herein described consisting ofthe jointed sections forming the table-top, the end sections thetop-brace,the crossed legs having notches, the filling-strips formingcorner-pieces for the box and fitted to the notches of the legs and thebrace-bar all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

12. In a convertible table and box, the combination with the sides, topand bottom forming the table-top the legs supporting such top, the mainbrace extended between the legs, the box ends and devices by which tosecure such ends to the main brace all substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

13. The combination with the sections forming the table-top, of the legshaving mortises in their upper ends, the strips fitting in such mortisesand having at their ends portions engaging with the table-top'andfastenings securing the legs detachably to the table-top substantiallyas set forth.

14. The combination with the sections forming the table-top, the legsand the strips held removably against the under side of the top of thebrace-piece held at its middle to the table-top andbearing at its endsunder the connecting-strips, substantially as set forth.

15. The combination of the table-top, the legs, the main brace, a barpivoted between its ends to the main brace and adapted to be turned atright angles thereto the pieces supported on said pivoted bar andfastenings for such pieces substantially as set forth.

16. The combination with the sectional table-top of the strips fittedagainst the under side of said top lapping the joints of the sectionsand provided with angular end pieces entering sockets in the table-topand means for securing the said strips to the table-top, substantiallyas set forth.

17. The combination of the sectional tabletop, the strips lapping thejoints of said top, the legs holding said strips tightly to the top andfastenings by which to secure such legs detachably to the top allsubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

18. The combination of the table-top, the legs having notches in theirupper ends and pins at the base of such notches the strips seated insaid notches and having openings receiving the pins and provided attheir ends with projecting plates entering notches in the table-top andthe fastenings securing such legs to the table-top substantially as setforth.

19. In a convertible table and box or case the combination of thetable-top, the folding legs, the strips held by such legs to thetabletop, the fastenings connecting the legs to the table-top, the mainbrace, the box ends and devices securing saidbox ends to the main bracesubstantially as set forth.

20. The combination with the table-top and the main brace of the foldinglegs spreading IIO into locking contact with the brace and fastenings bywhich said legs are secured to the table-top, substantially as setforth.

21. In a convertible box and table the combination with the jointedsections adapted to be flattened out to form a table-top and providedwith keepers, the brace pivoted to the table-top and havinga sectionengaging said keepers and a second section crossing the first, thefolding support and fastenings securing IO such support detachably tothe top substantially as set forth.

\VILLIAM E. BAXTER. \Vitnesses D. W. LINDSEY, J11, JOHN B. LINDSEY.

